On Monday, President Masoud Barzani received former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and discussed the need to complete the formation of the Iraqi federal government.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi formed a new government in May, but several minister and executive positions still have not been filled.

The two leaders also discussed voting on the federal budget, enacting necessary legislation, and resolving outstanding disputes between Baghdad and Erbil.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also received former Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani, who is also the head of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition.

During the meeting, they agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation and coordination among Iraq’s political parties to support the federal government in increasing public revenues, addressing challenges, and serving all citizens and communities without discrimination.

KRG Prime Minister Barzani emphasized the need to respect the constitutional status and financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region and ensure its fair share of the 2027 federal budget, based on the Kurdistan Region’s 14% share of Iraq’s population, as established by the officially approved results of the 2024 national census.

In a separate meeting with former Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also addressed the need for coordination and joint efforts among Iraqi political parties to overcome existing challenges.